Best of

the Twin Cities

Best Fine Dining

Sanctuary

The face of fine dining seems to be changing, the old traditions fading by the minute, even in New York. It’s too easy to get delectable food at a reasonable price while wearing jeans and sneakers. Why even bother with finery anymore? Bother because dining, at its best, is a transporting experience filled with drama, theater, and surprise. Patrick Atanalian and Michael Kutscheid of Sanctuary know all that, thanks to decades in the dining world harkening back to a time when the terms “fine” and “dine” were almost synonymous. You’ll see the imprint of their pedigree all over Sanctuary, a category-defying lair where gargoyles peek out from behind high-backed chairs, and a real-deal French chef and proper maitre d’ make dining an experience far beyond scooping food off a plate. A grown-up wine list, a menu where one might encounter sea urchin, turtle soup, and rattlesnake, and a server who can recite specials from memory are a few reasons why you should turn to this eccentric marvel when you want not just to eat, but to dine.